Hear Shawn Mendes’ Raw New Song ‘In My Blood’
Shawn Mendes battles anxiety and loneliness in his new power ballad, “In My Blood.”
Mendes charts a course from victim to victory on his latest single. The opening of the song is soft and despairing: “Laying on the bathroom floor, feeling nothing/ I’m overwhelmed and insecure, give me something,” Mendes sings.
But the chorus is a howl of defiance. “Sometimes I feel like giving up,” Mendes admits. “But I just can’t.” His voice rises as the instrumentation bolsters his resilience – shuddering drums, throbbing electric guitars. In a nice touch, choral backing vocals add soothing textures to the final hook.
In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Mendes said that he wrote the songs for his third album, namely “In My Blood,” with the intention of sounding more honest and rock-oriented. “I was like, I want to make a Kings of Leon record – I want to go more rock,” Mendes said. “The only way we’re going to step up … and get better … is if it’s more honest. Like, how raw can we get?”
Mendes wrote “In My Blood” with Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris and Geoff Warburton. The same team also helped craft “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back,” a hard-charging top 10 single in 2017.
“In My Blood” serves as the first offering from Mendes’ upcoming third album. The singer/songwriter’s last LP, Illuminate, came out in September of 2016. It debuted at Number One.